RamRodder, Part XIII - Gettin Rid of Rust

For longer than we’d like to admit there’s been little or no progress on our Project RamRodder. And while we’d like to claim extenuating circumstances (or even better, find a way to blame Editor Brennan), the truth is things came to a stop because we know our limitations—what needed to be done exceeded our abilities. It was time to get the body ready for paint, our least-favorite part of building a car. From here on out we needed a real bodyman so we called on Jake Brazille, of Jake’s Place in Florence, Oregon, to get us back on track.

2/20The outer surface below RamRodder’s trunklid was laced with rust, as were areas that we couldn’t gain access to for repair.

While man had been kind to our ’50 Plymouth and it negotiated traffic for a little more than half a century without any significant damage, Mother Nature hadn’t been so friendly. The floor from the firewall to the trunklid was completely rusted away, both rocker panels needed patching, and the rear body mounts were in sad shape. But the real challenge was the rusted area below the trunklid. Made from a number of stamped pieces that were welded together it made more sense to replace that section than try to repair it. We certainly weren’t worried about authenticity so some creative methods were used to make the necessary repairs to RamRodder—but then that’s the name of the game.

Next time around we’ll work on fitting the trunklid, and begin prepping the body for paint. Not even Brennan can stop us now.